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In celebration of the exceptional event that is the presentation of Artavazd Pelechian’s new film Nature—his first in 27 years—the Fondation Cartier is spotlighting the filmmaker, whose work remains too little known by the general public, through an online project accessible to all on its website: Encounter with Artavazd Pelechian. The fruit of an ambitious research effort conducted in close collaboration with the artist, this unprecedented project explores the life and work of the rare, yet celebrated filmmaker, a “missing link in the true history of cinema”, in the words of Serge Daney.

From his birth in Armenia to the making of his new film, Nature, first shown at the Fondation Cartier in 2020, Encounter with Artavazd Pelechian looks back on the milestones of his career. Presenting the ten films that now make up Pelechian’s filmography, this exploration is enhanced with rare documents, historical photos and a number of contributions by figures from the art and film worlds. It elucidates some of the mystery surrounding this distinctive filmmaker and his lyrical, timeless body of work.

In keeping with the online projects devoted to major figures hosted by the Fondation Cartier, including Bernie Krause and Claudia Andujar in recent years, Encounter with Artavazd Pelechian is an evolving project that will be regularly enhanced with new contributions and information on the filmmaker’s activity.

As a prologue to this new project, two exclusive accounts provide a personal perspective on Pelechian. In a video interview, his wife, Aïda Galstyan, looks back on his film career, which she has accompanied for nearly six decades, collaborating in particular on the editing of most of his films. And Atom Egoyan, the Canadian filmmaker of Armenian origin, here publishes the message he addressed to Pelechian on the occasion of the Fondation Cartier exhibition.

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain presents Night Vision 20/20, a work created by Sarah Sze—her first foray into augmented reality—and developed by the digital agency Cher Ami as an app. Produced as part of the Parisian exhibition Sarah Sze, Night into Day, this immersive tool plunges users, wherever they may be, into a nocturnal dream world. The visual elements, comprised of videos drawn from Sze’s installations, transform the users’ perception of reality through their smartphone screen. Night Vision 20/20 brings them into the artist’s universe and opens the door to a personal and playful exploration of her work. A sound piece created by Sze heightens this dreamlike wandering.
The Night Vision 20/20 app joins Sze’s two original Night into Day installations. It is downloadable for free from the Apple Store and Google Play.
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Less known to the public eye than its neighbor the Amazon, the Paraguayan Gran Chaco forest has the highest deforestation rate in the world. Every day more than 1.000 hectares of dry forest are cut down for meat production. The indigenous communities who call it their home now live within close proximity of the small towns that have sprung up there. Men from these indigenous communities are generally employed as agricultural workers by large landowners.
These communities are home to outstanding artists, discovered by the anthropologists Verena and Ursula Regehr, who supported and promoted them with local exhibitions. Their drawings and sculptures bear witness to the deep bond they developedwith their rapidly disappearing environment, including plants and animals.
Even if their survival and culture are threatened, be it by the growing number of farms taking over the region, the increased cultivation of soy crops or, today, the Covid-19 pandemic, these artists keep on drawing. Their works denounce the destruction of their environment and take us on a fascinating journey through the emblematic landscapes of the Gran Chaco.
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In April 2020, Bernie Krause offered a unique 60-minute sound immersion into the Amazon to the Fondation Cartier’s audience. On the occasion of World Environment Day, we are pleased to share this soundscape once again.
The Great Animal Orchestra will be presented for the first time in the United States, from November 20, 2021 to May 22, 2022, at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem.
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